Memorial to soldier killed in Iraq vandalized

Aug. 21, 2013 - 08:39AM
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BRATTLEBORO, VT. — Police in Brattleboro, Vt., are investigating damage to a memorial to a soldier killed in Iraq a decade ago.

Police said the lock on the flagpole at the Kyle Gilbert Memorial on Main Street was damaged and the American flag was removed from its pole. It was discovered missing Tuesday.

A short time later, the town’s public works department found the remnants of an American flag on Williams Street. The flag appeared to have been destroyed by fire. The area around it in the road was charred and smelled of diesel fuel.

The 20-year-old Gilbert was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. He was killed on Aug. 3, 2003, in Baghdad when his unit was attacked.